Well, it was another successful season even if it didn't end with a World Series title for the first time since 2024 or a World Series trip since 2022. This is the first time we've lost an ALCS, having been 5-0 in team history.
2028 is going to be an exciting year as we'll be welcoming a host of new faces to the team and lineup as a new era begins. Much of the core that brought us success from 2023-2027 is leaving via free agency. Most notable of course is Wander Franco, whose last offer to us was $41.8M/year for 8 years and our last offer to him was $35M/year for 5 years so as expected, he's gone. Also leaving will be Matt Manning, Brandon Marsh, Keston Hiura, Liam Hendriks and from last year's team, Andrew Knizner. Jose Alvarado, who's the longest-tenured Ray and has been with us since the start of this save, is also a free agent although I will try to bring him back off another fine season. We have 3 of the top 9 prospects in baseball in Ricky Widmar, Isaac DeLeon and Andy Aparicio and they will all likely be making an impact this year. We'll also have to do something with our well-advertised glut of corner outfielders. So it promises to be an interesting offseason and a new chapter in Rays baseball come 2028.
First, the news that sets our offseason tone: Stuart Sternberg's payroll target. It was $170M last year but this year it's down to $150M. That shouldn't be a problem given all the contracts coming off the books. As you can see from below, we're only projected for $110M this year, which means we can actually sign a decent free agent if we want, or need to. I don't think we will as the top-end of the FA market is full of what's called the "winner's curse". Still given our tradeable assets we can take on some salary if need be for someone young or in their prime, like we did with Yordan Alvarez last winter even though his first season in Rays colors was a slight disappointment.
Here are the projected salaries. Anyone you don't see is a $564K minimum:
Around MLB, there were some interesting opt-outs to go with the originally scheduled free agents. This class, touted by national media as the "best free agent class ever", of course is headed by Wander and Vlad Jr. But Cody Bellinger has joined that class, as well as Dodgers C Will Smith, old friends Walker Buehler and Rafael Devers, and Ramon Laureano, to go with Keston Hiura and Brandon Marsh. Can't wait to see our fan interest crash every time one of our FAs sign elsewhere.
Some notable retirements around MLB: Marwin Gonzalez, Yasmani Grandal, Kyle Schwarber, Craig Kimbrel, Brandon Nimmo, Mike Clevinger, Tim Anderson, Gary Sanchez, Shane Bieber, Victor Caratini.
TRADE ALERT! Here it is, the big deal I alluded to in an earlier post:
They never seem to have the key player pictured in these. Yes, it's a blockbuster - we get a player I've coveted for a while now, Bobby Witt Jr. to play third base. He's probably the best defensive 3B in the AL (a 65, and I saw just how good his under-the-hood #s are when I was voting for Gold Gloves, he got my vote) and he's an excellent hitter with power. Add it all up and he's coming off a 6.2 WAR season. He didn't come cheaply, of course. Casas will take him place in KC and might hit 35-40 HRs while playing decent defense at 3B, and Hunter Bishop is a quality LF even if he had a down year this year. Here are Witt's numbers:
Most impressive is how he increased his hitting/power #s in a year where the offensive environment was significantly tougher.
He's due for a hefty raise in arbitration (so were Casas and Bishop, so it's not a money thing), but I'm hoping to sign him long-term, at least 4-5 years. This continues our defensive makeover where 75 Cedillo takes over for 55 Marsh in CF, 60 Widmar takes over for 55 Wander at SS and now 65 Witt takes over for 50 Casas and 45 Hiura at 3B. Also, Villareal is an interesting prospect, he's 19 and has great power potential (especially for a 2B) even if his contact outlook is iffy. We've had good luck over the years getting prospect "throw-ins" in deals, and here's hoping he's another.
BIG CONTRACT NEWS:
Bobby Witt Jr. extension, the biggest contract in Rays history:
Yeah, it's going to get expensive in the 2030s but I see Witt as a Nolan Arenado-type who ages very well.
Congratulations, Mac!
Another Cy Young award comes to Tampa Bay, that makes it 4 of the last 5 as Tyler Glasnow won in 2023 and 2026 and Matt Manning won in 2024. Texas's Tarik Skubal in 2025 kept it from being 5 straight years for the Rays. It was the closest Cy vote in history as Glasnow nearly won his 3rd, finishing 1 point short of Mac. Those three join David Price (2012) and Blake Snell (2018) as Rays with a Cy. Jack Flaherty won unanimously in the NL, no surprise. Also congrats to Christian Little for finishing 3rd. He could be our next winner if Mac doesn't repeat or Mack with a "k" Anglin steps up like he did in the playoffs.
Mike Trout edged out Wander Franco for the MVP award. It was Trout's 5th MVP, but first in 7 years as he had a great renaissance year and led the Angels to the World Series for the first time since 2002 and of course the first time in his storied career. The vote was fairly close as Trout had 16 first-place votes and 347 points while Wander had 11 and 322.
Welp, Vlad Jr stays in the division and is now on a better team. Guess this means Wander to the Red Sox.
The Dodgers re-signed Cody Bellinger to a 5/170 deal which doesn't surprise me.
MORE BIG NEWS:
The 3 years is one more than I wanted to go, but the AAV is fine. When I was negotiating an extension with him he was asking for $12M/year, but suddenly became more reasonable as an FA. I probably would have gone 2 at the total $ he got, but got him for 3. He's coming off a 2.0 WAR season, outstanding for a reliever, and I'll be happy for production from the first 2 years.
By the way this makes our 40-man roster full: Here are the players we added to it: Ricky Widmar, Chris Sharp, Joe Barker, Luis Berdin, Victor Barillas, Mike Lammers, Robby Burkes and Jeremy Bienick. Some of these I've talked about at length and their exploits at Durham. Burkes is a catcher we got in the Asa Lacy deal with San Diego and flat-out raked in Durham when Carlos Perez was injured or up with the big club. In fact he may be more suited as the backup to Ruiz than Perez, who's better off playing every day. Bienick is a hard-throwing relief prospect who pitched well at Durham last year and could play some for us next year. Petey Halpin is a strong candidate to go Rule 5 and I will probably deal him. If I'm going to make room on the 40, Emerson Hancock is the most likely to be traded or waived.
Yikes! This guy was one of the best young hitters in baseball, and he's now out at least 6 months assuming his career isn't over:
December 5: Ramon Laureano signed a 5/98 deal with Houston.
December 6: The first of our big free agents signed as Keston Hiura inked a 6/120 deal with Texas. They're a team on the rise with some really good young pitching. Hiura will join former teammate Heston Kjerstad in the middle or top of the Texas order. We'll be kings of the draft this year, as I made qualifying offers to Hiura, Matt Manning, Brandon Marsh and Wander, so we're getting a supplemental first-rounder with more to come. Also, the fan interest "almost crashed", can't wait to see what it does when Wander signs.
Some other big signings: Walker Buehler for 5/89 to the Cubs, Jesus Luzardo signed a 2/17.4 deal with the Yankees, but his stuff isn't as good as it was when he came up.
December 13: Andrew Knizner got paid, signing for a 2/25.6 deal with the Giants. This is a lot more than the pro-rated $3.2M I paid him off the free agent scrap heap in May or June last year. Good for him.